Day Five - We have a tv in our room?

OR - There is so much to do here I've almost forgotten about the rest of the world!

First of all, I have to send out some cyber love to one of my very best friends (and a TERRIFIC review and critique partner) - Charity. Charity and I decided to go to Dallas together for Nats last year, when we were both suffering terribly from "Not-Lanta Envy". We planned and pinched pennies and registered the very first day (or at least one of us did :) ). We talked and chatted about it for months. We were both SO excited. Then, as many of you know, Charity's town, Coffeyville, Kansas, ended up plastered all over CNN due to disasterous flooding. This threw a MAJOR kink in the plans for us to attend Nats together. Char called me in tears to tell me she couldn't make it, afraid that I would be angry. Well, one of my best friends couldn't even drive out of town, as it was literally under a river. How could I be angry? However, I was sad, because I knew I couldn't afford it on my own. But Robin and Kathy agreed to let me share a room with them, and I got to Live The Dream. But it has been very bittersweet for me, as I don't have my other half (really- my better half) here with me to share it. With every new person I meet and every experience I have, part of me is over the moon with giddiness, but part of me cries very silent tears that my friend can't share it. She's home cleaning up from the ravages of Mother Nature, and coming to Nats is really low on the list of her personal priorities this week. She's just such an amazing person though, and I know how much she really wanted to be here, so I couldn't help but do something to brighten her day. Guess what I did?

I hung out with Kristan Higgins. Charity LOVES Kristan, as I may have already mentioned. She picked FOOLS RUSH IN as the Top Pick of 2006 for our review blog. Charity's only request was that I find and meet Kristan, and do a FanGirlSquee, just for her. I have obliged many times over. ;) On my way to Kristan's room, I made a frantic phone call to Charity, leaving a "CALL ME RIGHT THIS MINUTE" message. Then I waited. When the phone rang, I handed it to Kristan and asked her to answer it. She did. The conversation went something like:
Char- Dee?
KH - No, this is Kristan.
Char - Kristan who?
KH- Kristan Higgins.
Char - SQUEEEEEEEEEE
KH - (mouthing to me) ouch!

It was beautiful. though Charity can't be here in person, she is here in spirit. I miss ya babe. Gt your bags packed for SanFran, ok?

In other news - some of you have asked why I'm not posting many pictures. Gret has my camera at camp. She's not allowed to have her cell phone there, but I can have mine here. So the reasoning was that I would use my camera on my phone, and still be able to take pictures. The reality is that I don't have a wall charger for my phone, and short of renting a cab to drive me around while charging the phone on the car charger, my phone would not have made it through the week with all of the pictures I wanted to take. So I'm relying on others to take and post the pics. Thanks, CherryRed, for your post about Blogging Nationals, and to the Fabulous Jude, for compiling a list of all of those blogs, and all of you other people that are taking and posting the pics because I can't!

I've learned that I'm not a Conference Purist. By that I mean that while the workshops are amazing, I have stood firm on my promise to myself to go with the wind. Basically, I still have my list(s) of all the workshops that I "needed", but I'm using it only as a guide, when I have nothing else to do. HAH!

Nothing else to do? Like the Publishing events where they GIVE you tons of free books? Or the people that just wander around, waiting to meet new people? Or bumping into someone in the hall that you saw in the coffee shop last night, and stopping to talk for 20 minutes? Or all of the people, these amazing women (and yes, even a few men!) that are so giving, so willing, so helpful, and so excited for you to reach the next level of success?

I only realized this morning that there was a tv in my room. I knew there was, on a logical level, but have had neither the opportunity nor the inclination to turn the blasted thing on. PTL! My kids would be shocked and appalled, of course, as the tb here has cable, something they do not have at home. I'm a mean mom. What can I say?

I'm heading off to my very last workshop now - Say Goodbye to the Slush Pile. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I know that there will be lots of great information presented, and I can't wait. But I'm telling you now, if I meet an interesting person on the way down the hall, forget about me going to the workshop. I'm getting the cd's, and as you already know - I'm not about to miss any opportunities.

More tonight, after the Golden Hearts and RITAs are announced.

I'll Keep You Posted!

PS- Real quick GOOD LUCK to Caridad/Barb Ferrer, who is up for TWO RITA AWARDS tonight. You can see the winners announced real time here. Or just check back with me later for a complete list.